The seven Welsh restaurants with Michelin stars have kept them for another year in 2023’s Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland.
Considered the most prestigious accolade in the restaurant industry, achieving a Michelin star is the ambition of many chefs. Ynyshir in Machynlleth - which became Wales' first ever two Michelin-starred restaurant in 2022 - impressed inspectors enough to stay the most acclaimed restaurant in the country.
And last week, another Welsh restaurant become only the third in Wales to be awarded the prestigious Bib Gourmand award from Michelin. Yr Hen Printworks, a restaurant based in a former printworks in Cardigan, was recognised for serving "good food at moderate prices”.
Read more: 50 things to eat in Wales before you die
Here are all the Michelin starred restaurants in Wales:
Ynyshir - Machynlleth, Powys - two Michelin stars
Gareth Ward’s Ynyshir in Machynlleth became the first Welsh restaurant to ever receive two Michelin stars in 2022, cementing its reputation as Wales’ most acclaimed restaurant.
Gareth announced this week that he will be opening Gwen, a sister restaurant of Ynyshir, which will be run by one of his culinary protegees, Corrin Harrison.
From its peaceful setting on the Dyfi Estuary to its luxurious bedrooms, Ynyshir is everything a destination restaurant with rooms should be. But it's chef Gareth Ward’s cooking that's truly memorable and driven by a mantra of "flavour-driven, fat-fuelled and meat-obsessed." His 30-course tasting menu features dishes such as miso cured black cod with pickled shiitake mushrooms
Home by James Sommerin - Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan - one Michelin star
With its moody, dark interior, blacked-out windows, and high-end cooking, Home was the new restaurant from chef James Sommerin and his family. A previous Michelin star holder at Restaurant James Sommerin in Penarth, which closed in 2020, he has shown that his cooking is still of Michelin standard.
SY23 - Aberystwyth, Ceredigion - one Michelin star
SY23 is co-owned by Nathan Davies, a star of Great British Menu and a former sous chef at Ynyshir. At his Aberystwyth restaurant, he serves a menu of locally sourced meat and fish cooked over charcoal. Many of his ingredients come from the SY23 postcode in which the restaurant is based.
Influences on Nathan’s cooking come from across Europe and Asia and foraged, pickled and fermented ingredients all feature on the menu. Read our review of SY23 here.
Walnut Tree - Llanddewi Skirrid, Monmouthshire - one Michelin star
Located just a few miles from Abergavenny, The Walnut Tree has been an iconic Welsh food destination since the 1960s.
Nowadays it’s owned by Shaun Hill, a true veteran of British cooking, who serves bold-flavoured yet unfussy French cooking with a scattering of international influences, including dishes like fillet of beef with salt brisket hash and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream.
Sosban and the Old Butchers - Menai Bridge, Anglesey - one Michelin star
This cosy restaurant on Anglesey is run by chef Stephen Stevens.
Located in an old butcher’s shop, the Michelin Guide praises Sosban for its “boldly flavoured modern dishes with original, personal touches”.
Stephen cooks single-handedly at this eight seater restaurant and makes the most of locally foraged ingredients included mosses and seaweeds, which he sources from the Anglesey coast.
Beach House - Oxwich Bay, Swansea - one Michelin star
Set in a former coal store with panoramic views over Gower’s Oxwich Bay, the Beach House is run by Hywel Griffith who is passionate about celebrating local Welsh produce.
According to Michelin, at the Beach House: “Sophisticated, classical cooking is the focus and dishes are reassuringly recognisable.” Read why we thought the food deserved the accolade here.
The Whitebrook - Monmouthshire - one Michelin star
Chris Harrod's high end cooking focuses on locally-sourced ingredients and freshly-foraged herbs and sea vegetables.
A former Great British Menu banquet winner, 90% of Chris's ingredients come from just a 12-mile radius of his rural Wye Valley restaurant. Read our review, here.
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